Saturday Surprise - Celebrity Boyfriends

In the cult of celebrity, nothing is more enjoyable than a woman whose jeans we want to fit into dating a man we want to dangle on our arm. Let's take a moment to appreciate the decadence of the celebrity boyfriend.

Halle Berry is gorgeous, but she has horrid luck with men. Here's hoping things go smoother with her current squeeze, model Gabriel Aubry. They've been going strong for a year now, their nine year age difference not snagging them a bit. The woman deserves a happy ending. I don't mind having him share a fantasy when I pretend to be catwoman. Meow!

Jessica Alba is sporting film producer and Yale grad Cash Warren on her arm. He is the ultimate in boyfriend accessories, frolicking with her on beach vacations and toting her golf clubs, and carrying her shopping bags! Besides, doesn't 'Cash' just scream to be the name of a romance hero?



Confession time. I am a boy band junkie, and *NSync was my favorite. No surprise then that Cameron Diaz's cutie, Justin Timberlake makes my list. He's probably not accustomed to being reduced to the man on her arm, but he does it so well he can't go unmentioned. Both have hectic work schedules that keep them apart, so when they are together they always seem to be having a great time and traveling the world. I definitely want that in my imaginary celebrity boyfriend, don't you?

Irish actor Stuart Townsend is phenomenal in his own right, but add his boyfriend skills with Charlize Theron to his resume and the man is stellar. Like Justin, Stuart is secure enough not to push for marriage with a woman content with commitment. While marriage might seem the end goal, he knows to accept her for who she is and what she wants, while making sure he's there the second she changes her mind.





Jenna spends too much time reading magazines and fantasizing about living in the lap of luxury, especially now that she can call it 'research'. Her debut novel, Just One Spark, is on shelves now in Australia. Since she lives on the other side of the planet, let her know if you see it.

Jenna Bayley-Burke

Friday Film Night ~ The Notebook

This week's inductee into the Pink Heart Hall of Fame, was also the film chosen by last month's hamper winner as her favourite romantic film.

To find out who that winner is... well... just read to the end of this post... Meanwhile, Ally Blake brings us...

THE NOTEBOOK

This was a movie recommended to me by a friend long after it had hit DVD. When I sat down that day a year ago, little did I expect what beauty, romance, joy, and tears the next couple of hours would bring.

Our film opens with Geena Rowlands in a nursing home, visited by an old friend who seems to come by each day to read to her from an old book. Some days are good and she seems to remember she has known him from somewhere, and some days are not so good when she sees him as a stranger. But back he comes, day in and day out, to spend time with her, and read to her, and put a little light into her day.

The story he reads to her is about young Noah Calhoun, a lumberyard worker, who is instantly smitten with seventeen-year-old Allie Hamilton, the daughter of a rich Southern family who is spending the summer at their vacation home in 1940s South Carolina. Allie's parents disapprove of their relationship, and Noah and Allie are separated. However, Noah and Allie's paths cross again seven years later, but by then, Allie is engaged to wealthy Lon Hammond. The Notebook became a "sleeper hit" in Summer 2004 and put Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling on the map in Hollywood as "up-and-comers."

The hero: Noah Calhoun

Played by the dashing Ryan Gosling. Having only seen him play sleazy bad guys before, I was ready not to like him as our hero. But from the moment he hits the screen he is charming, vulnerable, cheeky, and absolutely lovely. Those sad eyes, that great heart, that deep lazy voice, that long lanky form. He is one tall drink of water.

The heroine: Allie Hamilton

Poor little rich girl as played by the goooorgeous Rachel McAdams (the heroine in Wedding Crashers), and absolute gem of an actress. Allie is fiery, vivacious, bright as a button. She is adventurous, giving, and there is not one moment where you doubt that the hero fell in love with her at first sight. And though she tries valliantly to keep our hero at arm's length, he is like noone else she has ever met: a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.

This movie isn't just a three week romance. It is the romance of a lifetime. Spanning over years, decades, through break-ups and engagement to other people. From first kisses, to first loves, to first broken hearts and more. I have never seen a film cover the love of a lifetime with such pace and nuance and believability and fantasy all rolled up into one delightful package.

Trivia: Ryan Gosling and Rahcel McAdams are both from the same town in Canada, and since the making of this film in 2004, are still dating.

Trivia 2: In the book the character of Allie was a blonde, but the director wanted her to have red hair to match her fiery personality.

Trivia 3: Ryan Gosling built the kitchen table featured in the movie in preparation for his role as Noah in the film.

Trivia 4: Rachel McAdams beat out many other actresses for the role including...Britney Spears!

The fashions are gorgeous, the acting is superb, the story within a story set-up classic. the romance is raw, fiesty, expressive, obvious, undeniable. It is a mushy, kissy-kissy film with lots of tension, young spats, and even better make-up scenes.

The tagline of the film was: Behind every great love is a great story. And this story is a modern day classic.

And if you can watch this film without balling your eyes out, then you're a robot. A robot I tell you!!!

Warm and fuzzy rating: 9 1/2

Ally's latest book, Harlequin Romance Meant-To-Be Mother is available now in North America and the United Kingdom.

For more about the book, with blurbs, excerpts and behind the scenes info and pics, check out her website.

NOW TO THE HAMPER WINNER!!!

What fabulous responses we had for this month's hamper. Our question was: if you could choose only one romance movie to add to Friday Film-Night, which would it be? The winner was Rachel Blair for her choice of The Notebook. The Notebook is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks and believe it or not it runs to only 50,000 words, the same length as a Harlequin Romance novel! It is also a big reason behind the launch of the new Everlasting Romance line for Harlequin.

Thanks Rachel! Email us at thepinkheartsociety@hotmail.com with your address and the respective authors will each send you a copy of their books!! I hope you have plenty of time to read this month!!!

For a look at the insanely fabulous hamper Rachel won, check this out! And remember gang that the Foreign Book Giveaway will still run until the end of this month - so don't forget to leave a comment at the end of The December Hamper Post to be in for a chance to win!!!

Thursday Talk Time - Marin Thomas

This week The Pink Heart Society brings you one of the very latest authors for Harlequin American. Please give a warm PHS welcome to Marin Thomas!

Cowboys vs. Ordinary Heroes

First, I'd like to thank the Pink Heart Society gals for inviting me, a relative unknown author in the world of category romance, to blog today.

This month my fifth book for Harlequin American Romance will hit the shelves, NELSON IN COMMAND is the second installment in my McKade Brothers series. If any of you are familiar with the painting, American Gothic, you'll appreciate the cover of Nelson in Command. My hero is wearing a business suit holding a pitchfork while the heroine--Fanny Farmer--sports overalls and pigtails. The setting of the story is a small Illinois dairy farm. Speaking of settings…

…After my first three books for the American line, (cowboys and ranchers) my senior editor pulled me aside in Atlanta at the RWA conference and said she had plenty of Texas authors who wrote cowboy-themed/hero category stories and she'd love for me to explore alternate settings and heroes for the American line. I nodded and said "I'd love to!" Later, I had a nervous breakdown in my room. I cut my teeth on cowboy romances. I mean, good grief, there's nothing like a man in pair of tight-fitting jeans sitting astride a big, black stallion! Once the panic subsided I got to work on my next story idea and came up with the McKade Brothers series-a riches to rags theme. The heroes would be businessmen--now came the challenge (at least in my mind) how to turn a businessman into the hero of a woman's fantasies. Hmm???

Answer: Research. I went to a Barnes and Noble, bought a Pepsi (I don't drink coffee) and sat in an overstuffed chair and people--excuse me--MAN watched. First of all, you don’t see ANY cowboys in bookstores--at least not in Illinois. L. For two hours I studied regular men. Some handsome. Some not. All ordinary. I watched their expressions when they perused the bookshelves, listened to the comments they made to the store clerks and generally stared a lot. I was amazed at the questions that popped into my head. I began to wonder about their backgrounds, what made them chose the books they did and even why one man wore two different colored socks. After two hours, I stood and shouted silently, I can write these guys! I mean, these were real men. The kind most of my readers are married to or dating. Shoot, I married one, too! Why shouldn’t these men be just as heroic and handsome and intriguing as cowboys--maybe even more so because they know how to have meaningful conversations with people, not just their horses.

What started out as a moment of gut-wrenching fear in my writing career turned into an opportunity to grow as a writer. Currently I'm working on a new series for the American Romance line that's set in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Book one of the series will be out October 07. The stories center around a Scotch-Irish clan in a make-believe community called Heather's Hollow. I've had a blast researching the area and history of these people and hope I can do justice to it/them in my books. In this series, my heroes are… a newspaper reporter, a soldier returning from Iraq and a sawmill supervisor. Ordinary guys with super hero qualities.

So if you're in the mood for an ordinary guy, please check out my McKade Brothers series. Aaron Under Construction, the first book in the series is still available through on-line retailers. Nelson in Command is out this month (Jan 07) and Ryan's Renovation, the last book in the series will be out August 07.

And if visit http://www.marinthomas.com/ check out my new Name that Rooster contest (click on Marin's Attic). Drop me a note--I love to hear what readers have to say about my ordinary heroes

About Marin : In a nutshell, I am a sports jock turned romance writer. Yep--6 foot, 1 inch full of Happy Ever Afters. I played Division I Collegiate basketball for the University of Arizona. Go Wildcats!! As you might guess, basketball has played a major role in my writing success, but that's another day, another blog.

Thanks Marin!!!

Writer's Wednesday - India Grey

Our first new writer introduction of the New Year here at The Pink Heart Society is a brand new signing for the Harlequin Presents/Mills & Boon Modern lines in the form of India Grey...

About India

At the age of 14, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind what I wanted to be when I grew up. A Spanish countess.

A petite, blonde, blue-eyed aristocrat married to a hawk-faced Spanish count with a cruel smile and clever hands. I spent endless school assemblies and dull geography lessons fantasising about walking daintily down a majestic staircase towards him, wearing some sort of diaphanous garment and impossibly high heels, and desperately trying to ignore the inconvenient truth that I was a 5ft 6 brunette with size 7 feet who wouldn’t be able to walk daintily in heels if my life depended on it…

Eventually I realised that it might be a good idea to have a Plan B.

The Road to Publication

So, I sent off to Mills&Boon for their writer’s guidelines and started my first book. I’m ashamed to say that then, as now, I found the process of invention far easier than the discipline of writing, so it was the first of many that didn’t make it beyond the opening chapter. But in the years that followed I kept those writers guidelines with me. Every January 1st they got transferred from the pages of the old, tattered diary into the new year’s pristine one, and my list of New Year’s resolutions on the first page always featured ‘Start book’ (somewhere between ‘go on diet’ and ‘be more organised’.)

A degree in English followed, and hot on its heels marriage (rather disappointingly not to a Spanish count, but a man who has turned out to be a true hero in terms of the support he’s given my writing) and three daughters. In the summer of 2004 I saw an article in the paper about a local author who was starting a writers group and looking for members. The author was Penny Jordan. When I met her I certainly remember thinking how lovely she was, but I wonder if I missed the sign— the clap of thunder, beat of angel wings or sparkle of pixie dust in the air—which indicated that this was the person who would change my life forever!

It was at the January meeting of the writer’s group in 2005 that she challenged me to write an opening chapter. My list of New Year’s Resolutions still featured ‘Start book’, though my beloved HMB writer’s guidelines had long ago been mislaid; but Penny, with the generosity that seems so characteristic of romance writers, gave me something even better. Kate Walker’s ‘Twelve Point Guide to Writing Romance’. I took it home, read it, re-read it, underlined bits, and then felt ready for Penny’s challenge.

I wrote the first chapter of what was eventually to become The Italian’s Defiant Mistress easily and with huge enjoyment, and sent it off to Penny one morning in March. By the end of the day she rang me to say she’d emailed it straight to her editor in Richmond and they were very keen to read more. I suppose this is where the first phase of my development into a writer began: I learned that writing is easy when you’re not under pressure, but when you are it’s like swimming uphill through custard. I wrestled with two more chapters and sent them off, and became unpleasantly acquainted with Phase Two of the writer’s development. The phase where you check your email 32 times every 10 minutes and become intensely superstitious (if the next car through the traffic lights is red I’ll hear from HMB today…) When I eventually did hear it was to say that the editor liked my voice, but didn’t like the direction the book had taken in chapters 2 and 3. It was ‘too domestic’. Could I re-write them and get back to her?

Stuff happened. We moved house. The builders moved into the new house with us, filling it with plaster dust, swearing and loud radio. At some point I did send off two re-written chapters, and kind of limped on with writing more, but the editor I was dealing with went on maternity leave and I heard nothing. Christmas loomed. My New Year’s Resolution for 2006 was ‘Start New Book’

I was getting on with that when, in February I got an email from Lucy Brown in Richmond apologising for the delay in getting back to me and requesting the full ms of the first book. The book I’d abandoned at Chapter Six.... Yikes.

Phase 3 of the writer’s apprenticeship must be that part where you get out of bed at 5am to write, and the world blurs at the edges as the characters you’ve created become more real to you than the people you talk to at the school gate. The book was finished and sent off just before Easter.

At the beginning of June I got a very detailed, two page revision letter and with a mixture of hope and terror did the revisions and sent it back. And waited. And got an email from Lucy Brown on the first day of the girls’ summer holiday.

More revisions.

The timing wasn’t great. My children aren’t, you know, hooligans or anything, but they’re also not the kind of quiet girls who might while away the summer stitching samplers. For the next 6 weeks I no doubt looked like any other harassed mother in the park and on the beach but my mind was completely focused on sexual tension. I’m a little ashamed to say it was with a degree of relief that I dropped the girls off at school on the first day of term and returned gleefully to my desk, delighted at the prospect of acres of time stretching ahead of me...

On Friday September 15th the phone rang. I pounced on it in the manner of a woman who has been staring fruitlessly at her computer screen for hours and is seriously in search of a diversion. If it was someone selling double glazing we could have a good old chat about the merits of wood versus uPVC...

It was Lucy Brown, calling from Richmond to ask how the revisions were going.

‘Fine’ I lied airily, staring at my screen, which said Chapter 2 at the top. ‘Nearly finished.’

‘Great! The thing is, we have a Presents slot free for July next year and I really want your book to be the one that fills it. We’ll need to have it with us by the middle of next week for it to be considered, and of course it still might not be suitable for acceptance, but do you think you could get it to us by then?’

‘No problem’ I said, wedging the phone against my shoulder and starting to type frantically.

I worked solidly for the next five days (and most of the nights too). At 6 am on Wednesday 20th September I wrote the Epilogue in a rush of exhilaration and tears, and sent it off at 9. Then I went back to bed for the rest of the day. With a chocolate éclair.

I'd just got home from picking up the girls from school, and was having my first proper conversation with them for days when the phone rang. Lucy and I spent the first few minutes chatting and I found myself feeling really, desperately sorry for her. I was certain she was trying to find a nice way of mentioning that the book hadn't come up to scratch, and letting me down gently. I'd braced myself to hear that when she said that she was calling to say they wanted to buy it! The feeling was indescribable.

I’d still quite like to be a Spanish countess when I grow up, but in the meantime I’ll definitely settle for being a Mills&Boon author. You get to enjoy all that drama and passion whilst wearing old jeans and extremely unflattering jumpers. Perfect!

Thanks India!

To learn more about India you can visit the joint Blog she runs with two other writer's here. And we here at The Pink Heart Society wish her every success with her new writing career!!!

No Temptation Tuesday - Eat Less, Move More!

The Pink Heart Society is *pleased* to announce the launch of our Writers' Diet Club for 2007 with our first No Temptation Tuesday! Natasha Oakley launches the monthly club with a look at the Diets out there and invites you to help combat the disease known as Writers Butt...

Eat less, Move More! Yes, I think that basically sums up my findings. Put like that - eat less, move more - it sounds so simple. BUT ... it's not, is it!

And I reckon weight gain is a bit of an occupational hazard for writers. Firstly, you spend your days hidden away in whatever you feel most comfortable. (I can't remember the last time I've bothered with make-up or shoes during my working day!) And, secondly, the kitchen is soooo close.

It's all bad news for the conscientious writer who spends a goodly portion of each day sat on a computer chair. So, Trish, Jenna and I have decided the time has come to do something about it. Nic is excused because she's busy growing an addition to The Pink Heart Society and Ally because she's an annoying exception!!! :)

Our levels of motivation are slightly different. Trish is intending to go to lots of writers' conferences this year and isn't content with being a natural blonde. She's already bought lots of books and signed up to a local gym. I'm less keen but I know I've got to stand next to her in September and I'm blowed if I'm going to be twice her size. (Particularly since, without L'Oreal, I'm more grey than brunette.) Jenna has, perhaps, the noblest reason. She's decided to reclaim her true self after some health problems.

And we wondered if you'd like to keep us company?

So, hands up who's unhappy with the way they look? Anyone here prepared to own to that well-documented phenomonen 'writer's bottom'? If so, make sure you pop by on the first Tuesday of the month which has now become NO Temptation Tuesday.

In no time at all we shall all be as svelte as Kirsty Alley. (She does look amazing now, doesn't she! Apparently she used the Jenny Craig diet which, being in the UK, I know nothing about.)

Trish is embracing the GI diet which I think means she's going to be eating lots of porridge for breakfast. I'm doing Weight Watchers because I've discovered you can do it online. Jenna is doing the Dr Phil Ultimate Weight Loss Solution - I have absolutely no idea what that is - but I suspect it follows the 'eat less, move more' philosophy (though if it turns out to be some peculiar diet that involves eating nothing but cabbage soup it'll be great fun to read about).

There are any number of options out there - many endorsed by celebrities. Anyone fancy embarking on the Macriobiotic Diet as followed by Madonna? Or the incredibly complicated Zone diet which Jennifer Aniston is said to embrace? I just don't think I could get on with that one. But then percentages were never my thing!

The main thing, they say, is to pick one that you can stick to and that fits in with your lifestyle... So you may need to shop around and do some research but once you've decided on your own method of torture maybe you'll come along and join us and we can compare notes on each of our individual diets??? Strength in numbers and all that...

Having done my research, I can tell you that Heidi Klum was back in her pre-pregnancy clothes just weeks after giving birth. Apparently this was achieved by sticking to 1700-2000 calories a day and working out at the gym at least three times a week. Her top tip - to take weekly photos of yourself in the nude.

We at The Pink Heart Society are fairly convinced it would scare all readers away if we shared ours - so we won't. Besides, Trish says she'd rather have all her fingernails pulled out with tweezers...


Claudia Schieffer sticks to three meals a day with no snacking in between. Her top tip - lots of fruit for breakfast as it's easy to digest.

Now that does sound like something we can

all do, doesn't it? Like replacing chocolate during a writers block with things like fruit - replacing wine with large glasses of water - maybe even replacing some of that caffeine with a herbal alternative... And drinking water is something that nearly every diet claims is an essential, right??? Though replacing the wine, coffee and chocolate may test everyones resolve in our profession around about deadline time... (LOL Trish secretly snuck this paragraph into my beautiful blog because she knows I'm addicted to coffee and hate water.)

Patsy Kensit is also a three meals a day girl but has basically cut out diary, wheat and sugar. She also runs and does weight training.

Considering that practically every writer on the planet does their work sitting down in a stationary position for hour after hour each day I think we're all going to have to accept that exercise is unavoidable! Maybe you are going to invest in a pedometer and do the 10,000 recommended steps each day, maybe you'll take Trish's lead and stop using your Swiss Ball as a footstool, or maybe you'll buy one of those dance/salsa/jazzercise videos and make a fool of yourself alone in your living room... What will be your method of exercise? - come and tell us and we'll all compare notes... (ROTFL at another Trish addition. Anyone who read my personal blog yesterday will know I really, really hate exercise and couldn't possible advise anyone to buy a pedometer. But Trish is *very* keen! You know she's bought one and even plans on taking her swiss ball on her travels next year ...!!!)

Drew Barrymore also advocates three meals a day, mostly consisting of fruit and vegetables. Plus exercise (I'm beginning to hate these women.) - swimming, dancing, jogging, crazy golf (??). She says, 'It doesn't matter how you raise a sweat, so long as you have fun doing it.'

That excercise thing really does seem to be a bit of a theme. I hate excercise. I've never experienced the kicking in of endorphyns so I'm obviously at a big disadvantage here.

But it would seem, if you wish to emulate the celebrities who grace red carpets, the 'best buy' is 'the A-List Workout'. It claims to divulge the secrets of personal trainers who sculpt the stars.

Basically, the accepted wisdom is that you need to 'Train hard, Train smart and Be consistent'. Not for me then! :)

So, this is what's going to happen - Trish, Jenna and I will faithfully blog our progress on the first Tuesday of every month here at The Pink Heart Society - along with any tips or good recipes we have discovered that don't taste like cardboard and we'll keep you updated on our own Blogs in between, confessing our failures and successes in public on your behalf.

We'll even add progress meters which you can get yourself online here for your own Blogs or websites. (Yes, you guessed it, another Trish addition!!!!! I don't even have a word counter on my blog because I can't be trusted not to lie ....)

And we'd really like to hear about your progress! Top tips for survival, wonderful things that can be done with vegetables, how you put your back out with a session of Yoga ...

Who's playing?

With love Natasha

Natasha's latest release is her one and only Silhouette Romance before the line merges in Febraury with the new Romance line.

Millionaire Dad: Wife Needed is available in stores now and online at eharlequin.

You can check to see how Natasha is getting on with her Diet and with her writing at her Blog.

Male On Monday - Nathan Fillion

To kick start the New Year, The Pink Heart Society's very own Trish Wylie clebrates the First Anniversary of the original PHS idea by introducing us to a potential romance hero in the form of actor, Nathan Fillion...

He aims to misbehave...

And does it so well too. Edmonton born Nathan Fillion is one of those actors you'll see on screen and think 'Now where do I know him from?' It's almost a 'stealth-mode-like' sneak attack of a career... he takes roles here and roles there that might not get the kind of global attention that some 'A-listers' receive, but that do enough to garner him a following of ultra-loyal fans; fans who become even more loyal when they get a few glimpses of the 'real Nathan' too! He's one to watch. Because he could just be a Superstar with the right role at the right time and then you guys here at The Pink Heart Society can say that you knew him way back when... cos Trish introduced him to you...

Born on March 27, 1971, Nathan is the youngest son in a family of English teachers: parents Cookie and Bob Fillion, and older brother Jeff. Originally planning to follow in his family's career footsteps, he was one semester short of graduation at the University of Alberta (where he was majoring in art and minoring in drama as he pursued an acting career on the side) when he won the role of the charming Joey Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, and moved to New York City. And it's here that the stealth-mode approach seemed to begin...

So where have you seen that face before?

Perhaps in The Outer Limits, or Spin City or Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place - no??? Where was it then??? Perhaps in one of his movie roles like Blast from The Past or Dracula 2000 or even when he played the 'wrong' Private Ryan in Saving Private Ryan??? Nope??? Still not placing him??? Well he was there in every single one of 'em... Told ya this was one of these careers that sneaks up on you didn't I?!

In 2002, he won the leading TV role that would endear him to fans all over the world and earn him at least a couple of nick-names along the way. As war-hardened Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds on the short-lived but brilliant Fox Series, Firefly - created by Joss Whedon who later cast him as the evil Caleb in Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Nathan and his crew gained a following of devoted fans, known as Browncoats.

When Firefly was cancelled after only one series, Nathan is quoted as saying, 'I broke the cardinal rule of don't fall in love with what you're doing, because the rug can get yanked out from underneath you, and when it did, I was heartbroken.' And he wasn't the only one... Browncoats all over the world rose up on the Internet in force - to which Nathan said, 'It's very Jehovah's Witness. I'm not sure if anyone's actually going door to door, but it's not far off.' And the unthinkable happened... A cancelled TV show became a big screen movie named Serenity and Nathan was able to add 'There is nothing like a major motion picture to make you feel a little bit better about having your TV show cancelled.' It was a phenomenon. A show and a set of actors so taken into the hearts of fans that they just wouldn't let go. And Nathan Fillion was their hero; their Captain... or Captain Tightpants to those who knew him better.

But it's the real life Nathan that has helped to endear the fans too - he's known for his generosity of time, his enthusiasm, his humour - and almost worshipped for the fact that when a recent Convention was cancelled, he showed up regardless, complete with a box of his own stuff from home to give to as many disappointed Browncoats as possible. Now thats heroic!

Since Serenity, Nathan has landed roles in the spoof horror Slither, a leading role in the follow up to the paranormal thriller White Noise which opens in the UK this week, titled White Noise 2: The Light (even though Nathan joked they should call it White Noisier), a guest spot in Lost, and even has a new TV Series role in 2007 in Drive... But what will possibly bring him onto the radar of Category Romance Fans is his role in The Waitress, a romantic comedy which is also due to hit the screens in January (though info on this is short on the ground due to the tragic and untimely murder of the films female director)...

All in all, both on screen and off there is a wealth of reasons why this 6'1", brown hair, blue eyed, (currently single for those who may want to know) actor is potential hero material and I know that Ally Blake agrees with me on this due to the Blog 'War' we had on that very topic in 2006 (which led to Ally *casting* him in the lead role of one of her books)... I for one, will be in the queue to watch The Waitress, if I can ever find it... and if I can't then it's a shoe-in for a place in my DVD collection - right alongside Serenity and Slither...

You can even become a friend of Nathan Fillion on his myspace page here if you want to say Hi... It's worth it for some of the funny Blogs he does alone... And remember... I introduced him to you... Get in and cast him as a hero before everyone does I say... I know I intend to... And if any of you ever have a book made into a film... Well...

H's & K's Trish

Trish's latest release is her upcoming February book for Modern Extra entitled Breathless! It is available to pre-order on the Mills & Boon website in January...

To find out more you can visit her Website or see what she's up to at her Blog

PHS New Years Eve Party

It's NEW YEARS EVE!!! And The Pink Heart Society is here to see you into the New Year with drinks, nibbles and a few traditions along the way! All we ask in return is that you share some of your New Years Resolutions with us...

Whether you're seeing in the New Year quietly in front of the TV set with the kids staying up a little later and a glass of something nice in your hand or out whooping it up with thousands of others, New Years Eve is a time to look back on the year we are leaving behind and forward to the adventure of the year yet to come - and either way it's a time for friends and for family, to be thankful for the good times and to set aside the bad - and to know you are not alone as the rest of the planet celebrates with you!!!

So, here are some nibbles, drinks and traditions to help out your New Years Eve Party:

Gruyere tartlets

Rich, creamy tartlets, great served as a starter or part of a buffet.

Ingredients:
250g fresh shortcrust or puff pastry - 142ml carton single cream - 170g gruyere, finely grated - ½ tablespoon plain flour - 2 medium eggs, beaten - salt and freshly ground black pepper - pinch of ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6.

Roll out the pastry. With a cutter or cup, cut out 7.5cm diameter rounds to line a bun tray.
Mix the cream, cheese, flour, egg and seasoning together.

Divide the mixture between the lined moulds.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden and risen. Serve immediately.

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).

CLARET CUP - Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 bottles of claret
3 bottles of soda
1 lump sugar
peel of 1 lemon
cucumber
1 glass sherry
2 liqueur glasses curacao/maraschino/cointreau
2 liqueur glasses brandy

Method
Simply mix all ingredients together in a big bowl & Serve.


The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Years Eve festivities pale in comparison.
The Romans continued to observe the New Year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

BRIE & GRAPE CROSTINI

1 thin French bread stick - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 250g Brie, sliced - 250g

mixed red and green seedless grapes - freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6.
Cut the French stick in 1cm slices and brush them with the olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes and then leave to cool. Keep the oven on.
Top each crostini with a slice of cheese and push 2 grapes into each. Season with black pepper.
Place the crostini on a baking tray and heat through for 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the New Year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Years Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.
During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years.

New Years Eve Sparkler

4 (12 ounce) cans orange soda
2 cups passion fruit nectar
Ice
Fresh mint leaves
Grenadine (optional)

Combine soda and nectar. Pour over ice in a glass. Stir in mint leaves and pour in a drop of grenadine.

In Scotland, to ensure good luck for the house the first foot should be a dark male, and he should bring with him symbolic pieces of coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and a wee dram of whisky.

Traditionally one must clean the house, take out ashes from the fire, clear all debts before the 'bells' of midnight.

AND DON'T FORGET:

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

However you spend your New Years Eve and whoever you may celebrate it with, we here at The Pink Heart Society wish you a wonderful evening!!! And while you think about the dreams you have for 2007 - why not pop by and let us know the resolutions you're making to help those dreams along the way...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!